Ups And Downs From Patriots’ Preseason Win Over Lions

The New England Patriots kicked off the preseason Thursday night at Ford Field – and the football might as well have landed in the stands.

New England routed former defensive coordinator Matt Patricia’s Detroit Lions by a score of 31-3 after three days of joint practices in Allen Park, Mich. More ups than downs were the byproduct for the Super Bowl LIII champions, who dressed all but those on physically unable to perform and non-football injury, and rested healthy starters ranging from 42-year-old quarterback Tom Brady to first-team All-Pro cornerback Stephon Gilmore.
Here’s a stock report on New England’s early risers and fallers.
 Up: wide receiver Maurice Harris
A day after free agency began in March, the Patriots agreed to terms with Harris on a one-year, $1 million deal that featured a $720,000 base salary, a $90,000 signing bonus, a $40,000 workout bonus and $150,000 in cumulative per-game roster bonuses.

Now, Harris is looking closer to a lock than a longshot.

The ex-Washington Redskins wideout secured three passes for 27 yards and a touchdown against the Lions on Thursday night, getting into the end zone over Lions rookie Amani Oruwariye from 14 yards out for New England’s first points of the preseason.

Down: cornerback Duke Dawson
 Dawson, who went No. 56 overall in the 2018 NFL draft out of Florida, began his rookie season on injured reserve and ended it in the inactives.

Source by: https://www.forbes.com/sites/oliverthomas/2019/08/09/ups-and-downs-from-patriots-preseason-win-over-lions/#2d83955b299a